James s



J. S. DAVIS.

DISPLAY RACK.

(No Modl.

N PETERS. Fhomuuw u her. Wash'ngton. ac

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES DAVIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NICHOLAS B. RAPPLEYE, OF SAME PLACE.

DISPLAY-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,252, dated December 11, 1888.

Application filed March 23, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. DAVIS, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Racks for Displaying Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact deseription, reference being had to the accompanying drawin s, in, which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing in full lines the rod extended and suspended in dot ted lines; Fig. 2, a top or plan view showing one position of the rod in full lines and dotted lines for other positions; Fig. 3, a front elevation of the supporting-plate.

It is very desirable in stores and other places to make a display that will attract attention, and at the same time have the articles displayed to the best advantage, and so that one article will not interfere with or cover up another, and for this purpose hooks, rods, cords, and other means have been employed all of which have more or less objectionable features.

The object of this invention is to construct a rack or support which can be readily attached at any desired place, and which can be extended to receive the article and turned out of the way when not in use, so as to oeeupy but little room, and its nature consists in providing a rod having at each end a ball and Combining therewith a plate having a guide hole or opening for one of the balls and a series of holes or openings to receive and support the rod at different angles, all as hereinafter more particularly described, and pointed out in the claims. I

In the drawings, A represents a rod of iron, brass, or other suitable material, and having at one end a ball or round head, a, and at the other end a ball or round head, a.

B is a plate, cast or otherwise formed into shape to have a portion, 1), and a portion, Z), which stand at right angles, or nearly so, to each other. The base or portion 1) has a depending flange, c, and in the base I) is an opening or hole, (I, of a smaller diameter than the balls (I a, which opening, as shown, is countersunk or rounded out on both the under and upper side for the balls to lie snugly therein. The flange c, in line with the opening (I, has

Serial No. 268,262. (No model.)

a hole or opening, 6, and on each side of this opening 6 is an opcning,f, and these openings e and f receive the rod A when extended and permit the rod to be extended straight out, or at an angle on either side of a center line. The openings (7, e, and f are connected one withthe other by a passage, g, so that the openings f and the passage g form a slot by which the rod A can be changed from one side to the other or be placed at the center. As shown, an opening f is provided one on each side of the opening 6; but it is evident that two or more openings f 011 each side could be made, if desired, giving a number of positions for the rod.

The rod A is to have one of its end balls or heads formed with or suitably secured thereto to allow the rod to be slipped into the hole or opening (I, after which the other ball or head is secured to the end of the rod, connecting the rod to the plate I), so that it is free to slide in the openings of the plate, but cannot be detached therefrom, except by removing the ball, and when the rod is in place in the plate the rack is ready for use.

In use the plate 13 is attached to the edge of a shelf, or to a post, window-casing, or other place where it is desired for use, by screws 71, or in any other firm manner. The rod A for use is drawn out either through the center opening 6 or one of the side openings, as may be desired, for the display of the article, and when not in use the rod can be slipped back through the center hole or opening (I, so that the ball a will rest on the upper side of the base Z) in the hole (I and the rod be suspended, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, and when suspended the rod is free to swing, so as move out of the way, and, bein suspended, it occupies but little space and is in eitectentirely out of the way. The rod, when extended, 1's firmly held by the ball a coming in contact with the under face of the base Z) around the hole or opening (I, and by the contact of the rod with the bottom of the opening or hole 9 or f, in which it is located, and the sides of the openings or holes 6 and f are so formed as to hold the rod against side swing to any great extent.

The device will be found very useful for the purpose of display, as it can be arranged wherever desired, and when in place the rod can be drawn out and set at the location to make the best display, and a number of the racks can be arranged side by side and not interfere one with the other, as the rods can be turned to stand away from each other or to touch each other, as may be desired, and when not in use the rods can be suspended and out of the way.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The rod A, having at each end a ball, in combination with the plate B, having a base, I), and flange 0, provided with holes d, e, and

15 f, and connecting-passage g, for supporting the rod, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The plate B, having the base I), with its position, substantially as specified.

J AMES S. DAVIS. \Vi tnesses:

O. XV. BOND, H. B. HALLOCK. 

